Coated container and method of packing, storing, and shipping liquids therein



Oct. 19, 193.7; L( D. BENEalm COATED` ONTAINER AND METHOD 0F PACKING, STORING,

AND SHIPPING'LIQUIDS THEREIN Filed Jan.; 2s, 1932 Patented Oct. 19, 1937 COATED CONTANER AND METHOD OF PACKING, STORING, AND SHIPPING LIQ- UIDS THEREIN Lloyd D. Benedict, Chicago, Ill., assignorto John L. Bennett, Decatur, Ill.

Application January 23, 1932, Serial No. 588,271

2 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in containers and in the art or method of packing, storing, shipping, and dispensing liquids in and from closed containers therefor.

The principal object of this invention is the provision of a container and process by which such container may be lled withliquid and the lilled container stored and shipped, and the liquid dispensed from such container, the container being provided with a lining which will have an aging eiect on the liquid in the container, will improve its quality-and avor, and will tend to prevent deterioration or spoilage of the liquid contents of the container.

For carrying out my invention, I provide a leak-proof container or package of suitable material, the container or package being coated or lined on the inside with a bituminous or resinous layer having embedded therein particles of YWood or wood-like material which will have an aging or maturing effect upon the liquid in the container and will improve the quality thereof. When the liquid has been placed in the container or package, the container or package may be stored for an extended period of time and may also be shipped and delivered in the original container or package without having any deterioration or spoilage of the liquid in the container.

The container or package may be made of any one of `a number of various materials, as, for example, metal, including tin, tinned metal, sheet iron or steel, or other suitable metals. The container or package is provided with a lining which has the eiect of improving the quality of the contained liquid and of preventing the deterioration or spoilage thereof. For certain liquids, the interior of the container or package is provided with an adhesive coating or lining which contains small particles of a Wood or woody substance, thev Wood particles being exposed andk adapted to be contacted by the liquid in ,the container. The container or package may be made in its nal form and then provided with the lining, above described, or the sheet material lbefore being made into a container 'may be treated With a coating of the adhesive material containing the Wood or Wood-like particles. It is within the contemplation of my invention to use fatty acid pitches, rosin, resins, synthetic resins or gums, tars, Brewers pitch, other pitches, or similar adhesive materials or combinations thereof. The above-mentioned materials are adapted to coat the interior of the container, so as to prevent the liquid from coming into contact with the container, and also act as adhesives to hold the particles of wood or Woody substances.

As a specic example of the lining material which I may use, I havefound that a pitch Which is a residue from the distillation of cocoanut oil fatty acids is especially adapted for use 5 with my invention. The distillation of the fatty acids is stopped at a point Where the dropping point of the pitch is 30 C. While I have given this specific example, it is' expressly understood that I am not limited thereto, but may use any 10 of the other above mentioned thermoplastic materia-ls. yIn choosing the bituminous or resinous lining, it is essential that the tar, pitch, resin, or adhesive material selected will not impart a bad taste or odor to the liquid in the container, l5 and also shall be suiciently exible to permit the sheets of metal or other materials which are coated with it to be Worked into. the can or container Without cracking or exposing any of the metalsheet surface. i 20 I Will now describe one form of carrying out my invention to provide a can orcontainer with a lining as above set forth. 'Ihe pitch or other similar material is applied to one surface of a ilat piece of thin plate, or other sheet metal, and over this a coating ofpitch is put and then a layer of granulated oak. The,oak may be in the form of granulated particles, sawdust, or in any other similar fonn, so as to facilitate application to the pitch coating. The flat piece of metal 30 with its pitch coating and the oak granules spread uniformly over the top of the coating is then run into an oven on a moving conveyor, the oven being held at approximately 35? C. This permits the oak or Woody particles to embed themselves 3f in the pitch, andassoon as this is accomplished, which should not be more than ten minutes, the sheet is remo-ved from the oven and the excess granules removed by air pressure or any other convenient method. The sheet is then ready to be made into cans. While I have mentioned oak as one of the woods which I may use, I do not Want to limit myself in this respect, since other woods may be used. The invention is not restricted to an oven temperature of 35? C. given 45 in connection with one form of my invention, and it is to be expressly understood that this temperature may be varied due to dilerent plant conditions, different atmospheric conditions, and different base materials.

Another method of applying the Woody particles to the bituminous or resinous lining, includes placing the wood particles on the plastic coating of the sheet material and then rolling the Wood particles into the plastic lining. Also impregnating material or the adhesive and impregnating materials may be applied to the nishd container in one operation.

The size of the particles or wood or woody material may be varied within relatively large limits. For different types of beverages, different types of (Wood or woody impregnating material may be used.` Instead of wood for certain purposes I may use multi-cel diatomaceous earth, or other porous material which has been previously impregnated with chemicals. On standing in contact vwith the liquid in the container the liquid will extract the chemicals within the diatomaceous earth or other porous material.

It is, of course, essential that aA suicient amount of the Wood or woody material in the lining or coating should be exposed to the liquid in the can or container to bring about the aging or maturing effect. Instead of treating the sheet metal as above set forth, it is within the contemplation of my invention to form a plastic mass of bituminous or resinous material containing the wood or woody particles therein, the

woody particles being present in sufficient number to be exposed so as to contact the' liquid in the can or container for thepurposes hereinbefore set forth.

During the aging process certain chemical reactions take place which modify the taste of the product. The lining assists such chemical reactions. The unfinished product may be put into the container and the necessary aging permitted to proceed in the can itself while the can is be- -ing shipped so that the actual time of storage in the place of manufacture is shortened. The conltainer or can, made according to my invention may be used for beer or similar carbonated malt beverages which require aging or maturing for producing the finished product.

In the practice of this process and in the use of my containers, the liquids may be packed in containers of suitablesize and stored away for a suitable length of time before being shipped. The aging and conditioning processes proceed even though the liquid is packed in these container units. The containers may then be shipped and the liquid dispensed from the container, or in the container as a unit, depending, of course, upon the size thereof and the demand therefor.

In the case of tin cans or' metal containers, numerous special advantages are obvioust-In lling there is a minimum amount of breakage of the containers and wastage of the liquid, the lightness in. Weight is an advantage in handling,

storing, shipping and dispensing, and the exclusion of light from the contents thereof is also advantageous. Also in lling there is no danger ,of the container breaking as when glass vbottles are used. Furthermore, there is less breakage in shipping. The metal cans or containers also protect the liquid from the deteriorating effect of the sunlight.

The drawing represents a vertical transverse cross section of a can or container showing an adhesive lining to which are attached particles of wood or woody material.

What I claim is:

1. The new beer-container and substitute for the glass beer bottle for packaging and delivering beer to the consumer, and which is a lightproof, gas-tight, non-fragile, metallic container of the aforesaid character having a lining which separates the beer from the metal of the container and which vcomprises materialof the group consisting of bituminous, tarry, pitchy and resinous materials, said lining also comprising exposed woody particles preservative of the quality of the beer.

2. .Method -.of packaging beer as a substitute for bottling it, which comprises packaging th'e beer and maintaining its quality in individual serving, non-fragile, light-proof, gas-tight metal cans 'in contact with a lining on the inside of said cans comprising material of the group consisting of bituminous, tarry, pitchy and resinous materials, said lining also comprising exposed woody particles preservative of the quality of beerf LLOYD D; BENEDICT. 

